Porter County DRC approves Cosmo Midnight Scales site plan with driveway and turning-radius conditions

Porter County Development Review Committee members approved development plan DP2024-14 for Cosmo Midnight Scales on Jan. 16 during a meeting in the Porter County Government Center, clearing the project to proceed provided the applicant meets specified driveway and turning-radius conditions.

The approval applies to a proposed stable and associated uses at 1480 North 500 East in Pine Township, Michigan City, Indiana. Committee members made the approval contingent on the driveway being extended to at least 24 feet wide for a minimum distance of 50 feet from the roadway and on increasing the driveway approach turning radius to accommodate trailers, to allow two vehicles to stack adjacent to each other behind the proposed gate.

The conditions reflect traffic- and safety-related concerns raised by committee members and staff. Paul Pli, the applicant’s representative, said the project had gone through prior review and had received a conformance letter dated Oct. 18, 2024; he told the committee that prior comments, including stormwater items, had been addressed. "All prior comments related to the storm house had been resolved," Pli said. The committee’s motion to approve carried; the transcript does not record a roll-call vote tally.

Applicant Steve Sissom told the committee that he planned a gravel driveway and that he would "go as wide as the road, to be honest," and that he had obtained two bids for septic work and was seeking additional quotes. He and a neighbor described operational details: the applicants said septic installation would wait until weather allowed because work cannot proceed when the ground is frozen or overly wet, and they said they had two bids and were still "looking for a couple more."

Committee members and staff discussed several site details that will be addressed in permitting and construction. Kevin Price, a staff member who submitted questions during the meeting, asked whether signage and other site elements had been addressed; the applicants said they would return later to obtain separate permits for any signage. The applicant described a waste-management plan for manure and trash: "We're going to compost. There'll be 3 bags. There's a slab there's, like, a small square behind the hay barn, but concrete slab with concrete walls," a speaker identified in the record as a resident associated with the application said.

The record shows the applicants were advised to coordinate septic and site-work timing with contractors; staff reiterated that septic and other ground-disturbing work cannot be installed on frozen or saturated ground. The applicants confirmed they had applied for the required road/driveway permit and would work with county highway staff on culvert and right-of-way issues.

During the meeting the applicants raised a question about a prior deed of dedication along the property frontage. A staff member confirmed that the county has maintenance rights within dedicated right-of-way areas but that such ownership "does not mean it has to meet a certain aesthetic standard" the property owner may prefer; the county may maintain ditches within the dedicated area.

The committee’s approval allows the project to proceed to the permitting stage once the stipulated driveway and radius work is shown on revised plans and inspections are scheduled for field work when site conditions allow. The transcript does not record additional conditions, a permit issuance date, or a formal vote count.

The record indicates the committee spent substantial time on site-access dimensions, turning radii for horse trailers and farm equipment, septic timing and procurement of bids, manure/trash management on a concrete slab, signage to be applied for separately, and clarification about right-of-way dedication and county maintenance rights.